You might call me crazy. In the past month I switched to Android after more than 8 years as an iPhone user. I have had every iPhone up to the iPhone 7 Plus. My strategy through the years involved shifting the latest device of the year from me down through the family. It worked well for quite some time. Now my kids are transitioning. My oldest is in college and is now about to shift to her own plan. I am so proud of her for taking on this responsibility. With this in mind, I wanted to learn something new. A new platform. A new experience. Why you might ask?

My Evolution In Computing

So if you have been reading my blogs, you know that I had transitioned from a Mac person for some time to an avid Surface Pro user. You can read this post below.

Digital Inking isn't new. I remember in the mid 90's messing with an Apple Newton that had a stylus and a program called Calligrapher that introduced hand writing recognition. Later when Personal...

After reading the blog post above you might realize that my reason for moving from iOS to Android was not based upon the platform, but on the importance of digital inking. OneNote has become an application that I utilize for major project documentation, team collaboration, and my personal and professional notes. As I work through my day, my primary device isn't my Surface. It is my smartphone. Yes, when I am at a desk, participating in a meeting, or engaging in a Skype session, I am on my Surface Pro. But if you took the time spent, my smartphone has my attention to information when I am on the go.

Why Did I Pick The Samsung Note 8?

The power is in the pen. A staple of the Note line has always been a big screen and the S-Pen. The Note 8's S-Pen is waterproof, more sensitive, and has a smaller tip for easier writing. This would actually be my second Note. Last year I got to briefly experience the Note 7 before trading it in for the iPhone 7 Plus due to the risk of the battery exploding. But that didn't stop me from wanting to move forward with the Note 8 as it was released. The need for authentic input to bring context to content, especially in my current role here in Omaha Public Schools is high. The Note 8 gives this ability with access to the whole Office 365 offerings. Writing notes by hand is definitely the way to go, and OneNote is one of the best note-taking apps around. You can hand write your notes with the S Pen, and save them to the cloud. Once your notes are in the cloud, you can access them on any device that has OneNote onboard, whether it be your PC, tablet, or Note. There’s even a highlighter to mark up the most important things. OneNote includes an option to pin specific notes to your home screen, too, for when you need quick access to your notes.

The Accessories

While waiting for the next iPhone, I kept watching what Samsung would entice us with. Initially, it was the choice of a Samsung Gear 360 or a DEX station. As time progressed, I watched other deals. I think it was when AT&T, of whom we have been customers forever, came up with pre-order a Note 8, get a Gear 3 Frontier watch, and Samsung VR led me to this switch of platforms. The Gear 3 Frontier was a one time cost of $50. Then I used the Samsung Store App to register for the Samsung Gear 360. This gave me a complete experience of a wearable, virtual reality, and 360 camera. I have to say I am surprised by the Gear 3 Frontier watch. It lasts around 2 days on a charge for me and looks more like a watch than my Apple Watch does. Also the Gear 360 Camera makes pretty good 360 shots as well, check it out.

In the end, will I stay with the Note 8. Yes for this year. Only time will tell if I stay. I can say that if Apple were to make the iPhone X with the Apple pencil compatible, I might reconsider. I do miss the apps that I used to use with my iPhone. However most of the apps that are frequently used are cross platform. The biggest reason I moved was the desire to engage with my smartphone the same way I engage with my Surface Pro tablet. That has mostly been driven by OneNote.